Exercise Therapy

Member receiving exercise therapy

Member receiving exercise therapy

Ossie’s Story and Exercise Therapy

When 54 year old Ossie attended family gathering recently, people commented on how well he looked. He had lost weight and could easily pass for 10 years younger. Whilst he welcomed the compliments, Ossie knew that the road to apparent robust health has been a long and arduous one. He also knew, like many people who have suffered a brain injury, that looks can be deceiving.

Ossie’s world was literally knocked sideways when he was hit by van in 1997, suffering massive head injuries. He was given forty eight hours to live, but startled his doctors when he came out of a coma three weeks later. The accident had left him temporarily blind and unable to walk, with long-term cognitive and psychological difficulties.

Following a rigorous rehabilitation programme with continual support from his family, Ossie battled with not only the physical changes, but also the changes to his personality and self-perception.

“I had been very active. I ran my own housing and travel company and was a volunteer for Oxfam. The accident left me confused. I wanted to stand up but I couldn’t. Little things bothered me. I became very possessive and angry all the time, and totally lost my self-confidence“.

Ossie was introduced to Headway in 1999 by a neighbours daughter who had coincidently, also suffered a brain injury.

“Headway helped me out of the confusion. I began to understand what was happening to me and how to cope. It gave me structure to my day. I started working on the computer which helped me concentrate and the physiotherapy helped to sort out my body”

One of Ossie’s long term goals was to increase his exercise activity especially as it has such a positive affect on his sense of well being, his confidence and stamina. He had identified a local gym that he wanted to attend, but needed to feel empowered enough to work out on his own. We began to structure his exercise therapy sessions with these goals in mind.

Members and volunteers exercise in the Gym

Members and volunteers exercise in the Gym

Exercise therapy encompasses elements of rehabilitation, strength conditioning, Pilates and yogic breathing. I worked with Ossie on improving his balance, and proprioception, meticulously working through an exercise programme which was safe and one that he could reproduce at the gym.

Ossie responded well to the programme and as time went by his confidence grew.

For the past 6 months, Ossie has been going twice a week to his local gym on his own. He gets great support from the gym instructors who were made aware of his condition and has his programme reviewed regularly.

“I didn’t realise what a positive affect exercise would have on me. There is definitely a link between the brain and the body, and exercise improves that link. I feel great after a workout”

Ossie feels that the main problem he now has is convincing people who don’t know him, or who haven’t seen him in a while, that he has had a brain injury.

“I’ve learnt to cope and hide my problems. I would say that I’m fifty percent there. I still get dizzy and tire easily, but if I hadn’t been doing the exercise I probably wouldn’t be able to leave the house!“